All Grown Up
by NimbusSeeker70
Summary: Bill and Ginny have a conversation about growing up in the Burrow just after James is born. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition! One-shot.


A/N: Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Round 5! This is definitely not my best work, and I had to type it up in a hurry, but hopefully someone enjoys it! Please REVIEW, as usual!

Team: Tutshill Tornadoes

Position: Captain

Prompts: Write a story about Bill Weasley.

There are some moments in life that you can't explain with words. They reach all the way down into the very depths of you, and no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to express the emotions you are feeling, because there are just too many of them to even begin to explain.

For William Weasley, more commonly known as Bill, one of those moments came on the day he first saw his little sister holding her first child in her arms, cradling him and looking at her baby boy with love that only a mother can feel.

Bill had never been a particularly emotional person, but for some reason, that afternoon as Ginny sat in the rocking chair in his living room, he felt a pang in his chest he'd never quite felt before.

"Where's Harry?" he asked, trying to clear his mind.

"He's at the ministry for a trial. I don't really know any details. And Fleur?"

"Out shopping with Vic and Roxy," Bill responded.

There were a few seconds of silence, and Bill sat down on the couch on the other side of the room. "Are you alright?" Ginny asked finally. "You're acting very... Strange..."

"Hm?" Bill asked, having once again been consumed by his own thoughts. "I'm fine. It's just a bit surreal seeing you holding your child, you know?"

"Really?" Ginny asked, sounding amused. "Why?"

"Well..." Bill said, trying to find the right words. "It's just weird. I mean, I can still remember when mum was holding _you_ in _her_ arms the day you were born, and now, here I am, sitting in my living room in the house where I live with my family, watching my baby sister holding her baby boy. It's just..." He shrugged. "I dunno, it's weird."

Ginny smiled. "Do you really remember the day I was born?" she asked, surprised.

Bill laughed and shook his head in amusement. "Do I remember? How could I forget? The whole house was in a bloody uproar all morning! Mum was ten days past her due date with you, and Ron was just a little baby, but somehow he'd managed to turn the cat purple. Fred and George were three, I think, and they were already a complete ruckus. Percy kept being annoying about how he was going to become Minister of Magic one day, and Charlie had just fallen off his broom and broken his arm! It was already out of control when all of a sudden mum went into labor, and a few hours later, there was a new voice added to all of the noise!"

Ginny was practically falling out of her chair in hysterics as Bill told his story. "Ron turned the cat purple?" she asked, howling with laughter.

Bill chuckled. "He did indeed," he replied.

"And Percy already thought he was going to be the Minister?"

Bill just nodded and began to laugh as well.

Before either of them knew it, they were both laughing hysterically. Even little baby James was contributing short little bursts of giggles and smiles, making the two adults laugh even harder.

"Was it always so crazy around the house when we were that little?" Ginny asked when they both finally regained their composure.

Bill rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Ginny? There were six boys and a little girl running around a house barely big enough for three or four people. It was absolutely mad!"

"Every day?" Ginny asked in amused astonishment.

Bill nodded in confirmation. "Every day," he assured her.

Ginny let out a short bit of laughter. "I don't know how mum handled it all, you know? Dad was at work all of the time, and all of us were born within ten or eleven years of each other, so she didn't exactly have a fantastic amount of help..."

"I don't know how she did it either," Bill agreed. "I think we might have driven her insane a few times, though. D'you remember the day Fred and George turned Ron's teddy bear into a spider?"

"I think I've heard that story before," Ginny said hesitantly.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember it," Bill said. "You were really little, but mum was furious! She told the twins that if they pulled one more prank, she would take away their brooms for a year."

Ginny laughed. "What did they do?" she asked.

"Naturally, they did the only thing that made sense! They stole my wand and managed to hex the brooms so they would attack mum every time she tried to touch them," Bill said, completely straight-faced.

"Are you serious?" Ginny asked.

Bill nodded and finally smiled, unable to keep a straight face any longer. "Mum was beside herself that time."

"Did you ever get in trouble?" asked Ginny, shifting James in her arms.

Bill shrugged. "I guess I did a couple of times, but I tried not to. I figured mum and dad had enough problems with the twins, and Charlie sometimes too, so I made an effort to be helpful."

Ginny just smiled and nodded in reply before looking down at her baby. All three people in the room, Bill, Ginny, and even James, were quiet for a few minutes.

"Mum was really excited when she had you, you know," Bill said suddenly.

Ginny looked up at him. "Really?" she asked.

"Definitely," Bill said, nodding adamantly. "She'd wanted a girl ever since Charlie came along. She loved having a girl to take care of."

"I suppose..." Ginny said. She looked back at James, but kept talking. "I always felt like she was disappointed that I wasn't more like a little girl, if that makes sense. I dunno, I guess I just thought she wanted someone less... Tomboyish. I never really got into the whole shopping thing, or playing with dolls, or dress up. I was more like a boy than a girl growing up."

Bill frowned and shook his head. "Just because you acted like your six brothers doesn't mean you weren't mum's one and only little girl."

Ginny raised her eyebrows sadly. "Are you telling me that mum wouldn't have wanted a more feminine daughter than me?"

"Look, Ginny, did mum originally want a girly daughter who she could go shopping with and gossip with? Probably, but she loved you exactly the way you were, and she still does."

"Wow," Ginny said. "That might've been the deepest thing I've ever heard you say."

They both laughed, and Bill shrugged. "You deserve a lot more credit than you get, I think," he said. "It can't have been easy growing up with six brothers, and you turned out pretty darn good."

Ginny smiled widely at him. "Thanks, Bill," she said.

He looked at his sister for a few seconds. "That's been bugging you for ages, hasn't it?"

Ginny just nodded.

Just then, James let out an almighty wail, causing both adults to jump.

"Looks like somebody needs a diaper change," Bill said.

Ginny leaned down and sniffed. "Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed. "It _smells_ like somebody needs a diaper change!"

Both of them laughed and stood up. "I left James's diaper bag at home, so I'd better go," Ginny said apologetically.

"It's fine," Bill said, waving his hand dismissively. "I've got things to do before Fleur and the girls get home anyways."

"Alright," Ginny said. "See you Bill!" She grabbed a handful of floo powder and started to step into the fireplace, but Bill had one more thing to say.

"Hey Ginny?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really proud of you," Bill said. "I know most people don't tell you that because your husband is Harry Potter and your brother is Ron Weasley, so you probably get overlooked, but I just wanted you to know... You turned out pretty great."

Ginny smiled, and Bill could've sworn he saw a few tears in her eyes, but he didn't say anything about it. "Thanks," Ginny replied. "You turned out pretty well yourself."

Bill laughed. "See you, Ginny."

Within seconds, Ginny and James disappeared in a swirl of green flames, leaving Bill standing alone in his living room.

An hour and a half later, when Fleur and the girls got home, Bill was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at old family photo albums from mum, because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the strange feeling he'd gotten from seeing Ginny and James, but now at least he knew why he had it.

He'd watched Ginny grow up. He'd watched as she learned how to crawl, how to walk, how to use the bathroom by herself, how to fly a broom... He'd watched as she went through school and dated boys and helped defeat Voldemort, and all the while, he'd been watching her become a young woman.

But the sight of her and James made it feel like everything was beginning to come to a close. It was almost like Ginny was done growing up, because now she had a child of her own to raise.

It was something Bill couldn't really avoid. Ginny was all grown up, but that wasn't going to change what she was to him.

Because no matter how old she got, or how many children she had, she would always be his baby sister.

As always, PLEASE REVIEW!


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